


that makes us mighty

by avioletqueen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefly Verse, Alternate Universe - Space, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Smuggling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-05-29 01:23:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6353335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avioletqueen/pseuds/avioletqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa Tooru is the fearsome captain of a smuggling ship that's been wreaking havoc on Corporation Planets for the past few years. But losing the trail of the Police Commander means finding an innocent reason to go galavanting around this side of the galaxy. Enter Iwaizumi Hajime, a young Companion who's always wanted to see the stars.</p><p>The Firefly-ish Space AU that no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. back to the streets

**Author's Note:**

> "we have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." - malcolm reynolds

“A toast,” Tooru says out loud, and the clamor at the dining table comes to a standstill almost immediately. He raises his glass, and his five crew members do the same, eyes trained on him expectantly. “To a job well done, as always. To the frankly ridiculous amount of money we’ve negotiated for this drop-off. And to Iwa-chan somehow managing to get laid yet again.” 

Iwaizumi moves to set his glass down and leave the table, to laughter from around the table, but Tooru reaches out to grab his arm. There’s a stand-off for a moment, Iwaizumi’s apparently irritated face against the apology in Tooru’s eyes, but then Iwaizumi sits back down with the slightest flicker of emotion over his face - resignation, exasperation, amusement. Tooru clears his throat and continues. 

“You’re all lucky that I’m your captain. And I’m lucky to be your captain. I’m not going to draw this out, so I’ll just say what I always say…” He trails off, and his found family doesn’t disappoint.

“You believe in all of us,” comes the chorus from around the table, and Tooru waits a second or two to let that settle warmly in his heart. 

Then he puts on a disgusted face, nose scrunching up and tongue sticking out. “Ew, gross. My motto is ‘fuck Ushiwaka’, guys.” He points up to the picture of the Police Commander on wall, stern face pockmarked with holes from all the times darts have been thrown at the image. 

“I’ll drink to that,” Matsukawa says as Hanamaki rolls his eyes, and they all down their cups, the cheap alcohol burning a little as it goes down. 

The chatter resumes as they finish up their dinners, and Tooru watches the other five fondly as he eats. Even after all this time, there’s something heady about the sensation, something a bit beautiful about leading and being trusted by this particular group of people. They’ve been through hell and back together, and he repays them by being as attentive to their needs as possible. He’s a good fucking captain - he knows that, because he notices everything. The way Matsukawa’s hand rests thoughtlessly on the small of Hanamaki’s back as they get up and wash their dishes. The way Kunimi watches something on Kindaichi’s tablet over the other boy’s shoulder with actual interest for once.

The way Iwaizumi leaves the combined living area a little earlier than he usually does. 

Tooru gives it five minutes, making casual conversation with the others before getting up and excusing himself to go sleep. The twin looks of disbelief on his first mate and pilot’s faces say that they know he’s lying, but Tooru doesn’t feel like dealing with Mattsun and Makki’s eerie ability to know him right now, and he leaves the room with a cheery smile and wave.

His ship is a work of art, really. The Aoba Jousai started its life as a luxury transport ship, made by the rich for the rich. Then Tooru had acquired it, and it’d begun its second life. Beautifully-constructed originally and well-worn out now, it’s being held together with genuine love and care. Kindaichi is an unexpectedly bright mechanic, and Hanamaki treats the ship like an extension of his own self, and Tooru’s kind of a genius. Together, they’ve kept this pile of junk running for years now. Their home is small, nothing remarkable, made up of a common living and eating area, a few rooms for the crew, a barely-used infirmary and a large cargo bay. Typical for most smuggling ships around these parts. And then there’s the shuttle docked above the crew quarters. 

Tooru’s at the door of that shuttle now, rolling his shoulders back and taking a deep breath before knocking twice. It slides open after a moment, Iwaizumi Hajime on the other side of the door, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. 

“Can I come in?” Tooru leans against the doorframe, fluttering his eyelashes in a way that goes right past alluring into just plain annoying, and Iwaizumi shakes his head before moving back into his room. Tooru knows he’s hiding a laugh, though. He can tell. 

He follows the other man into his extravagant living quarters, perching on the arm of one of the cozy armchairs set up in the room. Iwaizumi’s shuttle is far more lush than Tooru’s spartan bunk, and Tooru is a little jealous about it, but it makes sense, after all. Iwaizumi is a Companion, so people have to want to spend time in his shuttle. No one comes by Tooru’s bunk if they can help it. He doesn’t even like spending time there himself. 

“So what are your plans for tomorrow?” he asks casually as Iwaizumi moves around the room, tidying up or something like that. Tooru can’t fathom how neat the other man is.

He lifts a shoulder in a shrug, and Tooru definitely doesn’t notice how his too-short shirt rides up on his hip. “I’m booked for most of the day.”

Something drops a little in Tooru’s chest, like he’s missed a step on the stairs or something. He clears his throat. “The entire day?” he asks, all nonchalance and flippancy. “How you manage to find that many clients, I’ll never understand.”

“Very funny, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi snorts a little, but he doesn’t look away from folding up some of his fancy clothes. Tooru isn’t quite sure yet whether he’s jealous of those, or if he just wishes Iwaizumi would wear them more on-board. 

He swallows and tries again. “The ship isn’t going to like you if you keep leaving, you know,” he says, determinedly not wincing at how ridiculous that line sounds. “I know the laundry turned your sheets pink, and it might have been becomes someone put in an honestly dashing red captain’s shirt at the same time, but it’s also because the ship doesn’t know you yet. And that time we had docking problems on Chaelus - you’re just unfamiliar to the girl, and she doesn’t like--”

“Ah.” Tooru’s head snaps up from where he’s playing with his own fingers in his lap, to find Iwaizumi with a hand on his hip, looking straight at him with a knowing expression. “It’s our one-year anniversary.”

“What? No way. I mean- maybe? Who knows?” Tooru splutters a little more before ending with, “I don’t know, but it’s pretty weird that you’re keeping track.”

“Shut up, Trashikawa,” Iwaizumi says, humor evident in his voice as he cuts over Tooru. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would be important to you.”

“Aren’t you listening to me?” Tooru protests, lying through his teeth. “I don’t care. I didn’t even know.” 

“I’m sorry,” Iwaizumi continues, completely ignoring Tooru, “and I’ll keep the day after tomorrow free so we can celebrate. Now go and get some sleep, idiot.” 

Tooru pouts, getting up from his seat and heading to the door. “You know, I’m a pretty frightening smuggler,” he complains, pointing at Iwaizumi accusingly as he backs out of the room. “I wouldn’t just call me an idiot.” The other man scoffs, and Tooru crosses his arms. “Don’t laugh! I’m telling the truth for once.”

“Oh, I know, Oikawa.” Iwaizumi moves closer to the door, mimicking Tooru’s crossed arms and facing him. “I’ve seen you in action before, and you’re scary. I’m just not scared of you.” And with a charming smile, he reaches out to close the door, his muffled “good night, Oikawa” still managing to sound stern as the door closes between them.

Tooru walks away, his footsteps heavy so that Iwaizumi can hear he’s left. But as soon as he turns the corner, he can’t help sighing happily, leaning into the wall and wrapping his arms around his torso as he smiles brightly, helplessly to himself.

\---

It’s been quite a year. Tooru knows that for a variety of reasons. It’s not just because he likes Iwaizumi and he’s been keeping track of the days since he joined their crew, no matter how much the Companion does factor into his thoughts lately.

Tooru knows it’s a year because it marks the anniversary of when Ushijima Wakatoshi almost caught them all and destroyed their operation, a year since the Police Commander realized that Oikawa Tooru was the captain of one of the most feared smuggling ships this side of the galaxy. They’d gotten out of that scrape by sheer, dumb luck, thanks to Ushiwaka not having enough proof to get a search warrant for their ship. But they’d lost their cargo in the process, and Tooru vowed never to forgive Ushiwaka for that.

A year later, he’s more irritated than angry. He still remembers the humiliation of almost being caught acutely, but since then, the memory has been tinted with something more positive. It was then, after all, that Tooru had realized his crew looked suspicious. Five otherwise unaffiliated men cavorting around to different planets without an apparent care in the universe just screamed ‘criminal’. But a crew who provided safe travel for a young Companion looked innocent; admirable, even. So Tooru had set off for Kimassence, home of the closest Companion Academy, and incidentally a planet under the influence of the powerful Augral Inc. He’d sold some goods, picked up a crew member, and met Iwaizumi all in one very eventful day that had ended with him emotionally unloading on Kunimi of all people, the disinterested medic being incredibly unimpressed with Tooru’s protests that Companions shouldn’t be so attractive. 

But that was then. This is now. Now, Tooru is totally over the sleek lines of Iwaizumi’s body, the defined muscle on his arms, the way his lips quirks up in small smiles when he thinks no one else is looking. Now, Tooru doesn’t care that Kindaichi visits Iwaizumi’s quarters every so often, and he emphatically doesn’t care when Kindaichi only leaves the following morning. It’s not as if he can stop anyone from requesting his services. It’s not as if he has a monopoly on the man’s affections. Sure, he and Iwaizumi are friendly, but that’s just because Iwaizumi’s friendly with everyone. 

Tooru has to remind himself of that sometimes. That even though it feels as though Iwaizumi knows him better than anyone else in his life, it’s just because of his training as a Companion. He can read through him because it’s his job, not because he particularly wants to get closer to Tooru. 

Though sometimes it’s clear that Iwaizumi doesn’t know everything, even after a year of friendship. 

It’s been a normal enough day en route to the drop site of their next job, and Tooru’s just thinking that things are going remarkably well. He’s deep in concentration trying to figure out which client to contact next, eyes trained on the tablet in his hands, so when he quickly turns a corner into the kitchen, he doesn’t notice Iwaizumi coming out of the entryway until they’ve collided. 

Tooru’s caught between throwing his arms out for balance and tucking his tablet in closer to his body, and the moment of hesitation ends in him tumbling onto the floor, his hip catching the side of the table before he lands. 

There’s a moment of silence as Tooru winces at the pain, but as soon as he realizes how shocked Iwaizumi looks, he tries to diffuse the situation. “Ow, Iwaizumi, you brute,” he protests, lifting his shirt slightly to inspect his side. When he sees drops of blood beginning to well to the surface, he dramatically presses the back of his hand to his forehead. “I’m going to faint. I’m bleeding. Oh god, I’m going to die.”

He expects a snort and a shake of the head. Maybe a laugh, if Iwaizumi’s in a good mood. Instead, he gets Iwaizumi’s concerned face close to him all of a sudden, and by the time Tooru can blink in confusion, he’s been hefted up into Iwaizumi’s arms. 

_Don’t you dare be appreciative of Iwaizumi’s biceps in this moment_ , a part of his mind tries to tell him, but Tooru has never particularly succeeded at being a good person. “You’re not being gentle enough, Iwa-chan,” he says, affecting a feeble voice. “It _hurts_.”

If he wasn’t awful, he’d probably feel bad at the way the other man’s forehead pinches in concern. As it is, he does feel a little guilty, but there’s not much room for that when he’s so busy being delighted at how Iwaizumi clutches him tighter to his chest. 

Naturally, it all comes crashing down when they reach the infirmary. Kunimi takes one look at Tooru and scoffs, nodding his head at the operating table. Iwaizumi sets him down with care, looking at the medic a little warily. 

“What happened?” Kunimi asks flatly, and when Tooru lifts his shirt to reveal the bleeding mark on his hip, Kunimi just gives him a flat stare. 

“What? I'm in _pain_ ,” Tooru protests, pouting instinctively. 

“It’s a scrape.” And before Tooru can say anything else, Kunimi turns to Iwaizumi. “He’s got a scrape. He just gets dramatic about being hurt because he’s a two-year-old on the inside.” 

When Tooru chances a glance up at the other man, he sees that Iwaizumi’s gaze has turned into a potent mixture of disbelief, embarrassment, and a heavy dose of irritation. It makes Tooru laugh, because his sense of self-preservation is ill-developed at best. 

“Why do you look so grumpy, Iwa-chan? You saved my precious life,” Tooru says cheekily as Kunimi cleans up the scrape. He lifts his hand to throw up a peace sign, and Iwaizumi’s face gets impossibly darker. 

“You’re an idiot. I hate you,” the Companion says passionately, and Tooru opens his mouth, ready to wheedle his way back into Iwaizumi’s good graces with charm and gracefulness. 

Then Kunimi’s fingers press onto his knee, and he sucks in his breath instead, letting out a shallow gasp that’s soft against the steady hum of the ship in the background. 

“That’s how he responds when he’s actually hurt,” Kunimi says, still speaking to Iwaizumi as he lets up the pressure on Tooru’s leg. Tooru want to argue, because his knee is fine, has been fine for a while. But as soon as he tries to start, Kunimi probes the underside of his knee, and catching his breath is the only way to keep himself from actually vocalizing the pain. 

“What happened? Did you hurt your leg when you fell?” Iwaizumi demands. Tooru is about to wave the question off, but Kunimi and Iwaizumi have identical looks of utter seriousness, so he reevaluates. 

“I just have a bad knee,” he admits with an exaggerated sigh. “I hurt it years ago on one of our worse runs. It acts up sometime. No big deal.”

“He has a cane he should use on bad days,” Kunimi says unhelpfully, and Tooru makes a note to himself to give him the midnight lookout shifts for the next week. “I don’t think it’s seen the light of day, ever. Are you even wearing your brace?”

His moment of hesitation is enough to reveal the truth, but Tooru tries anyway. “Yes?” 

“He’s lying,” Iwaizumi says almost immediately, as if he’s studying a wild animal, and Kunimi nods in approval. 

“You’re starting to get it. Take off your pants, Oikawa.” 

“Uh- what?” Tooru yelps, instinctively pressing his legs together tighter. “I can’t just take my clothes off when Iwa-chan is here!”

“I’ve seen lots of people’s legs, Oikawa. I’m sure yours won’t scar me.” This is absolutely payback for making him worry. Tooru can read that much from the smirk on Iwaizumi’s face, and he huffs a little grumpily. 

“Fine, fine. I’m not wearing my brace and I’ll go put it on now.” Tooru rolls his eyes dramatically, so that the two of them know how displeased he is with this turn of events. 

“You’d better. I’m going to be checking from now on,” Iwaizumi warns, and Tooru can’t help responding.

“Goodness, Iwa-chan, are you my mother?”

Iwaizumi swats him without thinking, and Kunimi snickers as Tooru gapes at him, clutching his arm and pretending like he didn’t deserve it. It’s hard to whine, though, when Tooru doesn’t really mean it. Yes, his arm kind of stings a little, and yes, it was totally unnecessary, but Tooru appreciates the familiarity of the gesture, more than he wants to admit.

\---

So yes, he and Iwaizumi are close, he supposes. Tooru has given him a cutesy nickname, and Iwaizumi smacks him whenever he’s being overly obnoxious. It’s an acquaintanceship, or something. It works. That being said, he doesn’t need Iwaizumi to like him in any special way. It would be nice, no doubt - the very thought makes him warm inside - but he doesn’t have to. It’s not like Tooru doesn’t have his own friends, after all.

“Two pair,” he says triumphantly, putting down his cards with pride. Matsukawa groans, tossing his one pair down, but Hanamaki has a grin on his face that isn’t promising. 

“Straight,” he crows, spreading his hand out on the table before collecting all the bets. “With all due respect, Oikawa, eat my ass.”

“That wasn’t very straight,” Tooru chides, glumly resting his chin in his palm as the pilot pockets his money. “And you shouldn’t say things like that right in front of your boyfriend, Makki. He’ll get upset.”

“Ah, yes, the expert on relationships speaks,” Hanamaki taunts, briefly turning back to the controls to check on them as they speak. 

The cockpit has always been their preferred place to spend time together. Despite the lack of space, they’ve become used to it, managing to crowd in a table and two chairs in the tiny room for Tooru and Matsukawa. And it’s not like the three of them ever really want to be anywhere else, when that would mean leaving their precious ship to autopilot. Tooru doesn’t want her to feel neglected, after all.

“I’ll let you know that just because I’m inexperienced doesn’t mean I don’t have good advice,” Tooru protests, and Matsukawa almost chokes on his laughter. 

“Yeah, but I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that the two of us don’t need that sort of thing.”

Tooru can’t even pout at that, because it’s true. Matsukawa and Hanamaki have been making eyes at each other from the moment they met on Tooru’s first run, and they’d started dating shortly after. Their relationship has been disgustingly steady ever since, and Tooru is often caught between happiness for his friends and jealousy for what they have together. (It’s more often the latter, because he’s a bad person.)

“Fine. I’ll save my advice for someone who’ll actually appreciate it,” Tooru says with a little sniff, lifting his chin. 

“Yourself, then,” Hanamaki responds without missing a beat. “When’s the last time you actually…?” He trails off, unsure of how exactly to finish the question.

Tooru sighs a little, leaning back in his chair and wrapping his arms around himself. “It’s been a long time since anything like that,” he admits, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. “It’s not like I have a lot of time for relationships.”

“But you don’t even try to get laid. Doesn’t that get to you?” Hanamaki asks. 

“My sex drive doesn’t control me, Makki. And I know it’s been a long time, but I’m pretty sure you had to depend on your left hand once too, so shut up,” Tooru replies, his voice a little more waspish than he intends. “It’s not ideal, but it works.” 

“If I were you, I’d work it off with Iwaizumi.” Matsukawa offers, raising an eyebrow. “That’s what Kindaichi’s been doing.” 

“I know that’s what he’s doing,” Tooru says, managing to shrug calmly even though his treacherous heart leaps awkwardly at the mention of the Companion. “I don’t know. I guess that’s not what I want. It wouldn’t be professional.” 

“Since when have you cared about being professional, oh fearless leader?” he counters, his eyebrows raised high, and Tooru digs his elbow into his side.

“Shut _up_ , Mattsun. I’m just saying it’s weird to sleep with someone when you want to be friends with them. Weird for me, personally.” The other two just stare at him, eyebrows raised, and Tooru frowns. “What? What are you looking at?”

“No, it’s just…” Hanamaki raises a hand to his heart dramatically. “Oikawa Tooru, wanting to make a friend. This is what parents must feel on their child’s first day of school.” 

“We’re so proud, Oikawa,” Matsukawa says, his deadpan so intense that anyone would think he was actually being serious. “You’ve grown so much.” 

“I don’t-- what are you talking about? That’s ridiculous. I’m a friendly person.”

“Yeah, but you don’t make friends. You just smile at people and then judge them behind their backs with us.” Hanamaki waves a hand flippantly, as if he’s brushing the thought away. “But never mind that. You’re making a friend now, and we’re behind you one hundred percent.”

“You’re making this weird,” Tooru whines, pouting outrageously before he buries his face in his hands. “I take it back, I don’t want to do this anymore. We’re dropping Iwa-chan off on the next planet and leaving him there.”

Matsukawa clicks his tongue, and Tooru peeks up from behind his fingers at him. “Look, I’m going to actually be serious for a second, so listen. You shouldn’t run away from things that make you happy.” 

Tooru’s jaw drops a little. “What? I’ve never run away from anything in my life, ever.”

“Kogara, sharpshooter extraordinaire. Dated him for two months and immediately stopped contact when he suggested visiting his home planet again.”

“That- you’re taking that out of context--”

“Himura, supplier of firearms,” Hanamaki jumps in. “He suggested that you ‘stop by more often’ and you found an entirely new supplier.”

“There were other reasons for that!”

“Akaashi, rich, hot client. You were obviously interested, but we haven’t sold anything to them since.”

“Akaashi’s engaged!” Tooru cries out, palms spread wide. “Okay, the other two were fair, but I’m not going to go after an engaged guy.”

“But the other two are fair, huh.” Matsukawa smiles, leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head as Tooru scowls. “Just saying.” And before Tooru can say anything else, he’s already moving on to the next topic. “Hiro, how much do you want to bet that Iwaizumi will actually punch Oikawa the next time he calls him Iwa-chan?”

“Twenty credits. Iwaizumi tries too hard to resist temptation,” Hanamaki responds without even a second of hesitation. 

Tooru groans. “With friends like this, who even needs Ushiwaka?” he demands, and the laughter he receives in return is hardly encouraging. 

After a few moments, though, they relent, both of them shifting in their seats to lean over and press spontaneous kisses to Tooru’s cheeks. “We love you, Captain,” Hanamaki teases, as Tooru tries (and fails) to not be so pleased by their casual affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ★ up next: making new friends and a blast from the past.  
> ★ check me out at [lindbecks](http://lindbecks.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more oikawa tooru enthusiasm.  
> ★ kudos and comment if you enjoyed!


	2. wait 'til it hits

“What’s wrong?” 

Tooru looks up from his tablet in surprise, raising his eyebrows at Iwaizumi. The Companion is making himself coffee in the kitchen, but he spares enough time to glance at Tooru before returning to the task at hand. If Tooru looks closely, he can even convince himself that Iwaizumi’s concerned or something. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” he replies instinctively, though it’s not quite true. Iwaizumi looks at him again, except this time, he’s definitely unimpressed, so Tooru amends his statement with a dramatic sigh. “Well, it’s nothing you need to worry about. Why did you ask, anyway?”

“You were frowning at your tablet like it called you ugly. For all that you make fun of my grumpy face, I thought you’d be more concerned about your own forehead wrinkles.” 

Tooru gasps, pressing a hand to his chest. “How dare you. I’m going to be a model of good health and beauty for years and years, Iwa-chan. You remember that.” 

“Shut up, Shittykawa,” he responds easily, raising his mug to his lips and taking a long drink before setting it down again. “So, what’s bothering you?”

Tooru clicks his tongue, displeased that the conversation has steered back in this direction - but he knows better than to hope that Iwaizumi will drop the topic. The brace around his right knee is reminding him of that now. “Like I said, it’s not something you’ll find interesting. Just- business. Being a brilliant, successful smuggler isn’t all fun and games, you know.”

“Right.” Iwaizumi’s lip twitch in something Tooru wants to call amusement. “Well. If there’s any way I can help, let me know.” 

“Oh, Iwa-chan, you shouldn’t worry about that,” he responds lightly. “I’ve heard that thinking so hard can hurt when you don’t have a brain.” 

“Do you want me to hit you?” 

“Anyway, I have to go tell the others about this!” Tooru says, jumping from his seat quickly as Iwaizumi takes a menacing step towards him. “Thanks for the offer, though!”

As he scampers out the door, the smile drops from his face. As nice as it is to talk with Iwaizumi, that doesn’t mean he isn’t still worried about the problem at hand. He taps out a message on his tablet with one hand as he moves, barely looking where he’s going as he heads towards the cargo bay. 

By the time he gets there, the other three have already assembled. Kindaichi and Kunimi snap to attention when he enters, and even Matsukawa’s sleepy eyes look sharper than usual. 

“What’s wrong, Captain?” Kindaichi asks as Tooru comes down the steps, and he just thrusts his tablet in his crew’s direction, screen currently showing a news article. 

“Second Corps’ private police has been taking captains into custody,” Tooru summarizes, pressing his lips together tightly. “Johzenji’s crew have all been arrested, and I heard from Nakashima that Wakunan has had a close call. Second Corps just says it’s a coincidence that they’re running into criminals, and they’re just trying to do the right thing, but we’re not stupid.” 

“They’re going after smugglers.” Matsukawa finishes, raising an eyebrow. “Why? Do you think they’re trying to get ahead of Augral?”

“There’s no way,” Kunimi replies immediately, rolling his eyes. “Augral’s products are decades ahead of anything Second has control over. Just catching criminals isn’t going to get Second’s profits rising that much.”

“I don’t give a shit about Second’s motivations,” Tooru says plainly. “I only care about what that means for us. And right now, all our suppliers on Second Corps planets have started backing out of selling to us, probably because they’re cowards who don’t want to invite trouble. Which means that we’re going to lose all of our clients who want Second Corps products unless we can think of a way to get to the goods.”

“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Kindaichi asks, all earnest and faithful, and Tooru wants to groan. For once, there is no plan - at least, not yet. He needs more time to weigh options, think through all the possibilities. But everyone’s eyes are on him, and he hates to say something as unsatisfying as this. 

Luckily, he’s saved by a crackle of static on his comm device. “Oikawa?” Hanamaki’s voice comes over the channel, and Tooru frowns at how confused he sounds. “Can you come to the cockpit real fast? A ship in distress is requesting to dock with us.” 

“I’ll be right there,” Tooru promises, giving the other three an apologetic grin as he stuffs his comm device back in his pocket. “We’ll get back to this later, yeah?” And with that, he’s skipping up the stairs from the cargo hold to the cockpit two at a time, blithely ignoring the quiet protests of his knee. 

“Makki, you are an angel,” Tooru declares as he swans into the cockpit, slumping over Hanamaki’s back and setting his chin on his pilot’s head. “Now show me this ship, yeah?” 

“You only just figured that out?” he replies immediately, but there’s no real heat in it as he pulls up the scans he’s run on the ship. Tooru can read them easily enough, but Hanamaki points out the important parts: “There are around nine people on board, and it’s a personal craft that’s been modded to hell and back. That ship could fly way faster than it was ever built to run, but I figure they’ve broken a part or two and are looking for help to fix it. It’s suspicious, yeah, but I doubt they’re going to be trying to scam us. Code of honor and all that.” Smugglers on this side of the galaxy follow strict rules of chivalry, working through conflicts peacefully rather than stealing from one another. They’re all united in their hate of the dominating corporations of the ‘verse, after all. It makes no sense to waste time with infighting. 

Tooru makes a small noise in agreement, eyes flicking over the various screens before continuing. “Let them dock, but ask them to have their main crew report to our cargo hold once they do. I want to keep an eye on them.”

“Got it.” Hanamaki starts typing out a message with one hand, batting at Tooru’s arms with the other. “You should go now to let everyone know we’ve got guests. They’ll be on board in a few minutes.”

It doesn’t take long to arrange the rest of the crew. They’ve all gone through this many times before, and the procedure is standard by now. Even Iwaizumi is used to it; though he doesn’t usually get prepared with the rest of the actual crew, he loiters in the upper areas of the cargo bay, ostensibly to watch them carry out their transactions. Tooru’s never asked.

By the time Hanamaki lets Tooru know that the other ship has docked, they’re all ready to go. Kindaichi opens the cargo bay doors, and they separate with a loud hiss. It’s only a matter of moments before a stocky young man with dark hair confidently strides onto their ship from the other.

“Thanks for agreeing to help us,” the man says, reaching out a hand with a wide smile. “I’m Sawamura Daichi, captain of the Karasuno.” 

Tooru takes his hand, surprised by the intensity of his grip, and looks him over again. He’s not that tall, but he’s built well, something that Tooru reminds himself to appreciate later. There’s an obvious bulge of a gun tucked under his vest, but that’s not necessarily bad news. People need ways to protect themselves out in the frontier. 

“Trust me, the pleasure is ours,” Tooru responds, tilting his head to one side and grinning back as he looks around, sizing up the rest of Sawamura’s crew in a matter of seconds as they board his ship. There’s a bald guy with a troublesome look in his eyes, and Tooru makes a note to keep an eye on him. The silver-haired first mate doesn’t seem like he’ll be any trouble, though - his entire countenance is too bright as he chirpily introduces himself as Sugawara Koushi. “So what do you need help with?” 

Sawamura launches into an explanation, and Tooru dedicates about 70% of himself to actually listening to the man. It’s exactly as Hanamaki suspected - they’ve broken a part, are wondering if they have any parts to spare, or maybe a mechanic who can spare a fresh pair of eyes on the problem. Tooru is already nodding, about to order Kindaichi to help, when a couple more people board the ship. There’s a tiny man, practically a boy, with bright orange hair, arguing vehemently with--

Generally, Tooru thinks before he jumps. He appears reckless, yes, but that’s just a front. He calculates, manages, making sure he has all the information possible before he makes a move. 

Sometimes, though, he acts without thinking. Like now, when he pulls his gun from where it’s tucked in the waistband of his pants against the small of his back, when he points his gun at the man who’s just boarded his ship.

Kageyama Tobio. 

There’s immediate commotion around him, with everyone drawing their weapons simultaneously. It’s Sugawara who’s closest to Tooru, though, his refreshing nature completely replaced by intense anger as he levels his pistol at Tooru, practically shielding Kageyama with his body. 

“So you are a smuggling ship,” Tooru snarls, looking from Sawamura to Sugawara before going back to glaring at Kageyama. “What do you really want from us?” 

“How do you know this man, Kageyama?” Sugawara asks, completely ignoring Tooru’s question.

The boy hesitates for a couple seconds, then speaks in a low voice. “I used to be on Oikawa’s crew.”

“Oikawa?”

Immediately, every unfamiliar face is turned to him, and Tooru grits his teeth, rolling his eyes. Usually he takes more pleasure in the revelation, but right now isn’t a good time. “Yes, I’m Oikawa Tooru. As in, the galaxy’s most good-looking smuggler. That’s not important. What are you doing on my ship?”

“Look, just because Kageyama used to work for you doesn’t mean we had an ulterior motive for being here,” Sawamura says quickly.

“With all due respect, Sawamura,” and the scathing tone in Tooru’s voice could probably kill a man, “we didn’t part on the best of terms.” He looks back to Kageyama, eyes narrowed. “I’m well within my rights to be suspicious when you just happen to board my ship after six months.”

The boy shifts awkwardly, then mutters in response, “I didn’t recognize the ship.”

“ _What?_ ”

“I forgot this was your ship,” he repeats. “I didn’t recognize it from the outside. I would’ve told everyone otherwise.” 

Tooru sucks in a breath, because how can one boy be such an idiot? How can he genuinely not recognize the most beautiful ship in the galaxy after months of traveling on it? He can feel the malice rising in his chest, the vitriol he’s ready to release against this boy who almost ruined everything--

“Captain.”

His words die in his throat, just as he’s about to make a particularly acidic remark, and he looks up to see Iwaizumi in the balcony of the cargo bay. Even from that far away, Tooru can read the other man’s expression, and he’s overcome with a rush of feeling - mostly guilt and shame, that Iwaizumi is seeing him like this again. 

He inhales deeply, then looks pointedly back at Sugawara, doing his best to ignore Kageyama completely. “I apologize, really,” he says as he lowers his gun, though no one from the other ship moves to do the same. “It was just a shock to see dear Tobio-chan again like this. Boys?” After a moment, the rest of his crew lowers their guns as well, even though he can see that Kindaichi does it reluctantly. “There. How about we start over? I’ll call our pilot down to see about that part for you. And… how about your mechanic takes mine to your ship to take a look at what exactly has broken down?”

There are a few seconds of tense silence, but then the Karasuno’s crew lowers their weapons as well, the bald guy stowing his two pistols away with a nasty look on his face. “I’m the mechanic,” he says, lifting his chin. “And don’t you worry, Daichi. I’ll make sure they don’t try any funny business.”

Kindaichi scowls, glancing at Tooru as he moves towards the other ship, but when Tooru gives him a pointed look, he rearranges his facial features into something a little less mutinous. 

“Mattsun, get Makki to talk to Captain Sawamura here. I’ll be right back.” Matsukawa’s “yes, sir,” barely registers as he turns on his heel, taking the stairs by two. Iwaizumi intercepts him as he heads to the hallway, but Tooru cuts him off before he can speak. “Please… please just help me and take care of them for now. I need a moment.”

Iwaizumi nods, reaching out to rest his hand on Tooru’s arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.” 

Tooru smiles tightly, jerking his head in something resembling a nod, then brushes Iwaizumi off before heading to the kitchen. He can feel the redness in his cheeks as he enters the small galley, closing the door behind him. What a thoroughly embarrassing response. Sure, Kageyama is a genius, but he’s also an inexperienced idiot. There’s no logical reason to be threatened by him - and yet, instinct had told him to pull his gun. Tooru groans softly, resting his forehead against a cabinet as his fingers curl around the edge of the cool countertop. How ridiculous of him. How _mortifying_.

He hears the hiss of the pneumatic door behind him and sighs, not bothering to move from his position. “I’ll be fine,” he says in a low voice. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Actually, I’d rather you answer my questions now.”

Tooru jumps, turning to see Sugawara standing here, in his kitchen, with an adamant expression on his face. The transition from private self to public facade is quick, but it still takes a moment longer than Tooru would like, which is enough to set his heart beating faster all over again. “What are you doing here?” he asks, with a hint of steel in his voice. “I didn’t invite you into the living quarters of my ship.”

“Don’t pretend that you don’t know why I sought you out. I can tell you’re smarter than that. So let’s talk.”

Sugawara looks too stolid, too firm about his position to convince him out of this, and Tooru clicks his tongue, annoyed. But after a pause, he gestures towards the little table in the nook off of the galley, moving to lean on the counter closer to the table as Sugawara takes a seat. “So you want to know about my relationship with Kageyama,” he starts, just to be clear. 

“Particularly why you felt the need to threaten him as soon as you saw him, but I wouldn’t mind some backstory too.” 

Tooru rolls his eyes and lets out a dramatic sigh. “You might not have figured this out yet, but Tobio-chan is a very trying individual. I hired him to join our crew a year ago, and it quickly became apparent how much of a mistake that was.” He shrugs, trying to appear casual about the whole affair. “So I fired him.”

“How was it a mistake?” Sugawara smiles as he asks the question, and it occurs to Tooru that this man is probably much more dangerous than he intially thought.

“He hijacked missions and expected us to keep to his ridiculous pace. He argued with my methods in front of the rest of the crew. He wanted to fulfill a role that he wasn’t needed for. He threatened the safety of our ship in favor of his own reckless whims.” Tooru tries to stay calm, but he can feel his pulse rushing under his skin. He’s not sure how much of that is true and how much is colored by his own uglier emotions, but it’s what he believes - and what Sugawara wants. 

The vice-captain is nodding slowly, taking in what Tooru’s just said. “I understand. Kageyama was the type to have accidentally caused you harm in the past. But you should understand that he’s different now. He’s actually learning.”

“And I’m sure you’re having fun teaching him. Unfortunately, I don’t care.” Tooru looks down at his hands, pretending to inspect his nails. “I didn’t exactly fire him amicably. So when I saw him boarding the ship, I jumped to conclusions. A mistake, yes, but I have faith in your crew’s ability to forgive me.” 

Sugawara seems amused as he responds. “You know, you’re not exactly what I expected when I thought of _the_ Oikawa Tooru.” 

“Well, words don’t often suffice when it comes to describing my innate beauty and charm.”

“Not entirely what I meant. It just… from all the stories, it seemed like you’d be more hardened. You don’t look like a criminal.”

“Oh? How is a criminal supposed to look?” Tooru raises his eyebrows. “You’re a smuggler too, and you’re proof that we can retain our youthful glow despite the stress of the job.”

“Oh, I’m not a smuggler. We don’t do that,” Sugawara corrects, blinking innocently. “We’re a passenger ship. We offer world class amenities and quicker travel times than any of our competitors.”

Tooru just stares for a moment before saying, “bullshit. No one in their right mind would hire Kageyama for a job in the service industry.”

The other man laughs out loud, shaking his head. “Fine, that’s true. We might occasionally take on side jobs if people need things stolen from high security areas. Just for some supplemental income that isn’t taxable. Kageyama is very helpful to us in those cases.”

“So you run heists for other people,” Tooru concludes, a thought striking him as he speaks. “Say, are you looking for work right now?” 

The first mate hesitates, his brow furrowing as he considers the question. “I… yes. We just wrapped up our latest job. Why do you ask?”

“I think I have some more work for you,” Tooru says, running a hand through his hair before heading to the door, gesturing impatiently to Sugawara for him to keep up. 

“What sort of work? We can’t just alter our course, we do have places to go- Captain, at least _explain_ ,” the other man demands, to no avail. Tooru simply waves the questions away as he throws open the doors to the cargo bay, his entrance causing all the people remaining in the large space to fall silent. 

“Sawamura, have you stolen good from Second Corps planets before?” Tooru asks, pointing grandiosely at the other captain. 

To his credit, the man answers immediately, despite the suddenness of the question. “Yes, recently. It’s… difficult, but doable. Why?”

“One of our idiot suppliers has our goods, but pulled out of selling to us. I want you to steal the goods from them for us, and we’ll give you a cut of the money we get from the sale.”

“I… let me talk with my crew about it,” he says decisively after a moment, moving away from where he’s been talking to the Aoba Jousai crew and ushering the other people from the Karasuno closer to him. 

Tooru sidles up next to Matsukawa, watching the other man go. “He’ll say yes. I’m sure of it.” When he doesn’t get a response, he glances at his first mate, and though the other man’s countenance is expressionless as always, he feels the urge to mention, “I know I should’ve checked with you before making the offer.”

“Eh.” Matsukawa lifts one of his shoulders in his trademark shrug. “I trust you.” It’s said casually, but it lifts Tooru’s spirits anyway. 

It works out, in the end. As Tooru suspects, Captain Sawamura is quick to agree to the job. The goods get to them on time, and the Karasuno is surprisingly stealthy about it, despite being a ship of loud personalities. Kageyama and that shrimp actually work well together, though Oikawa would literally rather die than admit that out loud. Plus, Sawamura is sensible enough that he makes settling on a mutually beneficial deal easy. 

And after it’s all said and done, Karasuno’s first mate keys his number into Tooru’s tablet as he says cheerfully, “my friends call me Suga, okay?”

It’s unexpected. Tooru blatantly ignores the looks Matsukawa and Hanamaki are giving him, and sure enough, his suspicions are confirmed when he sees Suga stick his hands in the pockets of Sawamura’s leather jacket, leaning up to whisper something that makes the captain blush. 

It’s not like he’s into Suga or anything. It’s not like Matsukawa and Hanamaki think he is either - they’re just unrealistically invested in him getting laid. But Tooru likes knowing these things, knowing right from the start how much distance to keep between himself and the people he meets.

Still. Making a new friend isn’t so bad, he thinks. Friendship doesn’t seem as difficult anymore as it used to in the past. A thought that’s reinforced when Iwaizumi comes up next to him after they’ve seen the Karasuno crew off the ship. 

“So how did Sugawara know that I was in the kitchen, hmm?” Tooru asks lightly without turning to him, and the man just shrugs. 

“I’m not going to apologize, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“Oh, Iwa-chan,” Tooru sighs, attempting to throw a casual arm around Iwaizumi’s shoulder as he tries equally hard to avoid the gesture. “You’re so meddlesome. It’d be troubling if you weren’t so cute.” 

“Yeah. Meddlesome. Because I _want_ to have to deal with your shit all of the time.” He shoves Tooru’s arm out of the way properly, then fixes him with a look. “You’re okay, right?”

“... yeah.” Tooru can feel himself flushing a little and averts his eyes. He doesn’t want to think about Kageyama anymore. He definitely doesn’t want to think about how he might have acted, today and in the past, if Iwaizumi wasn’t there to defuse the situation for him. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” He’s a little rough when he smacks Tooru on the back, but even as Tooru winces, he smiles, sensing some sort of affection behind the gesture. “Now go put the packages in your hiding places, or whatever hotshot smugglers are supposed to do.”

“Iwa-chan!” Tooru says with a pout as the other man moves back towards his shuttle. “What’s the use of you having big strong arms if you’re not going to help me?”

“To look good, of course,” he responds over his shoulder with a cheeky smile before he turns down the hallway. Tooru blinks, then laughs a little to himself. Well, he’s not wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ★ up next: anxiety, joyrides, and quiet conversation.  
> ★ check me out at [lindbecks](http://lindbecks.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more oikawa tooru enthusiasm.  
> ★ kudos and comment if you enjoyed!


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